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How Trump’s new chief of staff can impact the FY20 defense plan

Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney’s takeover, at least temporarily, of the White House chief of staff position could have repercussions for defense spending, analysts predict.

President Donald Trump made the announcement over the weekend on Twitter.

Mulvaney, a former congressman and leader of the fiscally hawkish House Freedom Caucus, is viewed as a budget hawk, one who has no problem pushing for lowered defense spending. He attempted, with various degrees of success, to drive down defense spending in both the fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2020 budget submissions from the Trump administration, according to sources.

It’s not the first time President Donald Trump has tapped Mulvaney to temporarily fill a position. The OMB head held a dual-hat role when he ran the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for the majority of 2018, where he reportedly worked to weaken the office.

Per NBC News, Mulvaney is expected to stay as chief of staff for a term of about six months. Should that timetable hold, it would mean he is both the White House’s top budget official and the gatekeeper to Trump for the period during which the FY20 budget submission is finalized and submitted to Congress.